A Little Revenge Never Hurt, Right?
by Kickstart Asylum
Summary: Proving he was abused, Harry got away with murder. Literally. But during his trial, the Potter Will was brought up, having never been followed. Betrayal was never taken lightly by Harry, and Dumbledore... Had crossed the line. He moves to Egypt, transferring out of Hogwarts. There, he finds friends, politics, and maybe a little romance. ((Dumbledore-Hermione-Ron bashing!))
1. Old News

Harry Potter was a very smart child. He knew that it was his family, if they could be called humans that was, that was stupid. He learned quickly, _had to_, in fact, else they kill him in a fit of rage. He was small, weak, and scrawny, only because _Uncle _Vernon, it was painful to admit the monster was human and had a name, wanted a slave, not someone who had the strength to fight back.

When things began happening at school, mostly people asking odd questions, Harry had remained silent. No, he would not allow others, the so called authorities, to swoop in and take away his revenge. He waited, and he planned. Every time Dudley and his gang beat him bloody, he took pictures of the bruises before they could heal with a camera he had... _liberated _from a neighbor. He kept tally of every insult and slight against him, who said it, and every argument was written down.

He added in the odd occurrences, knowing the government wouldn't know how to deal with those, and he would possibly be able to get away with an insanity plea. If not, he would claim self defense. He had all the evidence needed, now he only needed to bear with it until the perfect moment.

* * *

The Revenge Day, as he had dubbed it, came quickly, the same week he left his second hear of Hogwarts. It only took a small sentence.

"Hey Dudley, you've gotten even fatter." At the comment, Vernon had flown into a rage, far from retrievable of the pit of insanity. He had punched and slapped, kicked and thrown, until Harry was a bloody mess. He had done nothing to defend himself, knowing the worse he looked when authorities arrived, the more believable his story. Finally, Harry decided enough was enough. Following pure instinct, he put his hand out, and glared menacingly. "You will not live to regret this." He snarled, before closing his hand into a fist, and Vernon slowly fell to the ground. Dudley had fainted at the sight as blood slowly dribbled out of his mouth. Petunia though, had frozen in fear.

Turning to face Dudley, he repeated the same motion, as well as with Petunia. When all three lay dead upon the ground, he huddled into a corner and waited. They would come soon, the muggle police. Petunia had certainly screeched loud enough to wake the dead. He lost track of time, sitting in that corner. When blue and red lights began flashing through the window, he sighed. It was time.

* * *

He had made a mistake. He had forgotten about the wizards. They had taken the case and obliviated the entire police force. As far as the neighbor hood was concerned, the Dursley's had moved. As far as Harry was concerned, instead of being the 'Boy-Who-Lived' he was now the 'Boy-Who-is-Powerful'. He... He had a whole new set of problems to deal with, pertaining to Dumbledore, his lineage, and his 'home'.


	2. Well, that's news

_**I never would have guessed this many people would have favorited, followed, and reviewed this so quickly! That being said, I forgot to post this in the first chapter, this is a challenge-fic from MelodyPotterSnape's idea. Also, I own nothing in this chapter. *cries waterfall* My minions have not yet been successful in getting the deed from JK Rowling.  
**_

* * *

He sat in the courtroom, noticing that the hush that fell upon the crowd of witches and wizards was more of slight fear rather than the fact that it could get quite loud due to echoing. As Cornelius Fudge entered, the room seemed to become even more quiet, if that was possible.

"Mr. Potter, are you aware of the charges held against you?"  
"No, sir, I'm afraid not." He frowned, looking around.  
"You are here under the charge of three counts of homicide."  
"Homicide, sir?"  
"Homicide is a legal term for any killing of a human being by another human being."  
"You mean... But I thought they were only..." He shook his head, drawing his knees up to his chest, ducking his head. '_Just play innocent._'  
"All evidence points to involuntary homicide due to accidental magic." Fudge stated, and Harry smirked, face still hidden. '_It'll all work out now._' He pasted on a semi-worried face and looked up.  
"Also, due to circumstances, the Potter Will has been read. Tell me, Potter, did you know you weren't supposed to go to your relatives?"  
"No, sir, Dumbledore said I had to stay there. I wasn't aware my parents had a will, either." He was furious, blood boiling in rage, though he hid it behind a curious face. How _dare _that... meddling old fool do this?!  
"Then it is safe to assume that you don't know of your lineage as well?"  
"No sir." He struggled to keep his voice from shaking in fury, but managed.  
"You will be placed in the care of a ministry advocate, and at a later date will receive a copy of your parents' will and a lineage test in the post. Court dismissed."

* * *

Harry sat across from Maya, the ministry advocate he had been assigned. Just as he was about to ask his daily question, ("Will it be here today?") a barn owl swooped in through the open window, dropped a bundle of papers on the table between the two of them, and left. Maya picked them up, separating one sheet of paper from the rest.  
"Here, this is the lineage paper. You need to put a drop of blood on the bottom of the page." She handed it to him, before burying her nose in the other papers.

He did as told, watching as names appeared on the page. _Peverell, Black, Malfoy, Potter, Evans, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Gaunt, Riddle. This is... disturbing, to say the least. _He thought to himself, frown forming. As he realized the _true extent_ of his lineage, he paled. _I'm related to Malfoy?!_

"Harry?" Maya said quietly, setting down a letter in front of him. "You should read this." He slowly picked it up, frown deepening.

_Potter,  
Now, don't go thinking I've joined your pathetic fan club, but I have to say, nice work. You and I both know that it wasn't accidental magic. If I hadn't been sorted the same year as you, I'd have thought you a Slytherin instead of a bloody Gryffindor. You pulled some quick thinking in that courtroom, Father told me so. I can just see you now, "I'd never hurt anyone!" Bollocks. You offed your relatives, and managed to weasel your way out. Don't worry about someone other than you and I seeing this. Mother charmed it to unscramble the letters for the sender and recipient. Anyone else sees a harmless child's code, which when 'broken', reveals an entirely different message. Bless the woman, she's clever. But I digress. You truly are a snake in the lion's den, Potter.  
-D. Malfoy  
_

Harry smirked. _So Malfoy figured it out. Huh, guess he's smarter than I thought. _He pulled out a piece of parchment, and scribbled down a reply.

_Malfoy,  
Now why would I think that? I wasn't even aware one existed... and you're clever to have figured that out. Also, I was originally supposed to go to Slytherin. But I won't be going to Hogwarts now. At all. That meddling old man has fooled me one time too many. Your mother is clever to do that. Tell her I said so.  
-H. Potter  
_

He sent the letter with Hedwig, watching her fly out the window. He just needed to find somewhere to learn and somewhere to stay. Shouldn't be too hard. He watched Maya, who was still perusing the papers. He'd give the slip tonight.

* * *

_**Hey, all, Tell me what you think! R&amp;R guys, it boosts my muse which get's chapters out quicker!**_


	3. Breaking News

_**I am finally back holy hell. School was a bitch, but I now have almost two months to update the stories! Which is nice. I got some questions too.**_  
_**1) From Fyreheart:** _  
No one in the DMLE questioned Harry before charging him with crimes?

_**As far as I know, the government has to question anyone under the legal adult age (And not emancipated) with a legal guardian. Considering the Dursley's are dead, and Dumbledore didn't see this coming, he didn't have the time to transfer the guardianship over to him. And he was the only one at the crime scene, and the magic used to kill them would have matched his.**_

_**2)** **Also from Fyreheart:  
**_Why did the circumstances cause the Potter Will to be read then and never before?

_**It's amazing the things that can be done to make sure something that should be read isn't. Albus 'Has-too-many-damn-titles-and-names' Dumbledore would have had the proper people in his pocket to ensure it was locked away, "to be read later, when the boy can understand it." Obviously he didn't want it to be read just yet, but a lot of times if something isn't read and one of the benefactors is charged with a crime, they will be read, since the papers would be part of the person's file.**_

_**3)** **Again, Fyreheart:**  
_What is a lineage test in your HP universe?

_**It's like an instantly and accurately drawn family tree that traces lineage down to the dates of birth and death of family members depending on how much blood is used. It goes back to the founding of every line no matter what, but the one drop would have shown him at the 'trunk' of his tree and the heirs one 'trunk' over on either side, hence the way he found out that he was related to Malfoy, there was Harry's trunk, and next to it, Malfoy's. Also, he'd see Voldemort's, but he's still thinking Voldemort and not Riddle, so it wouldn't cross his mind.  
**_

_**4) And again, Fyreheart:**  
_Why does he choose to run away rather than wait to see how everything plays out after the results of the Will are published?  
_**He's a smart kid, and he knows now that Dumbledore is a manipulative old goat (in this story anyway). If he stayed, Dumbledore weould try to manipulate him again, and when that failed, he'd throw more and more issues at Harry until something happened. I might actually take this up and write is as "What Might've Been", doing a companion story. But for now, he ran off because he just didn't want to have anything to do with goat man.**_

_**5) Fyreheart:**  
_Interesting. Harry collected facts on his abuse, but did nothing about it until he was twelve going on thirteen. Then, instead of turning it over to the authorities, he performed planned wandless magic to murder this relatives. How did the wizards discover the murders since he didn't use his wand?

_**Residual magic. If they can tell what spells were used in an area without specifics then the answer would have to be taken from the residual magic left from the spell itself. Plus, Harry mentions a few times in the canon that 'there was an odd feeling, as if magic had been used often.' I'd like to think that everyone's magic is slightly different, due to different personalities. Like a weak crucio came from either a weak-willed/Imperiused person or someone with few hate filled memories. Those nuances, as well as everyone having a 'magical signature' (may be canon or fanon, not sure.) would make it easier to figure out who it was.**_

_**6) From Stasia Ravenclaw:** _  
how old is he?

_**It's the end of the second year, so he'd be twelve, almost thirteen. Comparatively, From what I can tell (and from essays/ ) Bill would be almost ten years older, though that's not uncommon from where I live (parents being a decade apart) so they won't be smutting around for a looong time.**_

_**7) Not a question but; MelodyPotterSnape:** _  
The only criticism I can make is that it seems you've rushed the story a bit.

_**Sorry, I'm a very to the point kind of person, so things with me tend to be very short/sped up. I'll work on that though.**_  
_**ALSO: shout out to Stasia Ravenclaw for idea bouncing for the next few chapters!**_

Harry was a patient kid. Had to be, with the way he always had t sneak around. But when he was waiting _in the middle of the summer, the day before the summer solstice,_ for the_ sun to go down_, he got a bit fidgety.  
"Something wrong?" Maya looked up from the last few sheets of paper.  
"No," he frowned. "Just waiting.""What for?"  
"Nothing important."  
"Alright." She returned to her papers, and five minutes later she set them down. "So, according to these, now that the papers have been read, they go into effect immediately. Good really, since I'm not capable of-" She cut herself off, shaking her head.  
"Not capable of what, making sure they aren't messed with?" He asked. She looked around and subtly waved her wand, and nodded her head yes. "No, not capable of talking with goblins without offending them." He frowned, before tugging on his ear while speaking. _Are we being listened to? _"Why?" she nodded, shrugging. "I never did well with talking without offending someone. Just wait, you'll **_see _**_._" She put emphasis on see, while shaking her head.

_ So we're being listened to but not watched... _he tapped the table absentmindedly in thought, and she grinned. He tilted his head in silent question, and she pointed at the table under his hand while tapping her ear. _There's the bug. _He smirked, shaking his head. _So obvious. _

He returned to the book he had picked up a while ago, and began reading, still tapping on the table occasionally. _Just to annoy them. It's fun. _He grinned, before being pulled back into the world of muggle novels.

*)0(*

He watched as she slowly nodded off, slumping against the couch, grinning. He hurriedly grabbed his things, wrapped himself in his invisibility cloak, and rushed out to the balcony of the room. He stood in the dark, suddenly somewhat apprehensive about what he would be doing. Apparating on a first try from what you learned from a book in first year was awful iffy. He took a deep breath, focused on his destination, and turned. At the last second, a thought of desert and Bill flashed through his head, and before he could do anything, he was in a hot cave with a swinging axe headed right for his head.

He gasped, ducking and laying flat against the sand floor, with the blade swishing just above his head. He rolled out of the way just as it made it's return swing, and he stood, breathing harshly.

"Who triggered the trap? I specifically said not to trigger the trap!" an irritated voice called out, and footsteps began to quickly approach. Before Harry could react, a redhead came into view, who angrily yanked on a chain. The axes finally stopped their pendulum-like movement as the two noticed each other.  
"Harry?"  
"Bill?"


	4. Harbinger of News

_**Alright, so: I WILL BE SHAMELESSLY BORROWING ELFY HISTORY STUFF FROM THE DRAGON AGE GAME SERIES, ANYTHING WITH A * BY IT WILL HAVE A DEEPER EXPLANATION/TRANSLATION AT THE BOTTOM, I OWN NONE OF IT!  
**_

_**MoonPrincess623: I fixed the explanation, so now it should match up. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, I obviously still mess up stuff XD. Also, maybe I think it's obvious and it's not, but desert cave+traps+redhead that knew his name+looks like a Weasley= Probably one of the older Weasley brothers, so either Bill or Charlie, and if it had been Charlie, there would be dragons, not traps. Have you ever had one of those trains of thoughts where you've barely started one thought, and then you're already on the third or fourth thought by the time you actually finish the first thought? Like, **_

_**Traps-cave-redhead-older-Weasley-no dragons, which if I actually spread out, it'd be 'There are traps in a desert cave, the guy's a redhead so he's probably a Weasley, would have to be one of the older ones, there aren't any dragons, so Bill?'**_

_**Wolfisis: Do you play skyrim? In the ancient barrows (burial places) there are axes that swing if you step on the trigger, and on the opposite side of them is a pull chain/lever that stops them. And maybe it's just me being a dumbfuck and assuming, but the 'pendulum' comment was supposed to kinda say 'swinging from the ceiling'. I'll be using them as a heavy reference for tomb-iness as well as flying by the seat of my pants for lack of a better term/phrase.  
**_

* * *

_**"**_How?" The redhead started towards him.

"I don't know, I was aiming for somewhere else."

"Aiming?" Bill frowned.

"I Apparated. Then I ended up here instead."

"You... Apparated? At twelve? And you expect me to believe that?"

"Well, I didn't actually end up where I wanted to. And I'm not going back." Harry glared at the man, daring him to contradict him.

"Why? What the hell happened?" Bill asked, motioning for Harry to follow.

"Don't ask and I won't lie." He pouted when Bill didn't rise to the bait.

"I'll find out eventually." He grinned.

"Whatever."

"So," Bill started, "If you're not going to go back, you'll have to hide. And that won't be easy.

"Exactly. I was heading for a muggle place, but as you can see, that didn't really work out."

"They'd look for you there first."

"Didn't think of that. So what are you doing in a cave full of traps?"

"I could ask you the same. But we're curse-breaking an elvhen* tomb so we can learn more about their history."

"Wait, elves like house elves?"

"Sorta. We're starting to find out that they weren't always like that. They used to be... well, I guess human with pointed ears? They had their own language, religion, culture, their own country. That was almost forever ago though."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's pretty interesting. Careful, pressure plate there." Bill warned Harry just before he stepped on it. "I guess it's not really a tomb though, considering that they aren't actually dead. They're asleep, but they won't wake up*. It's strange."

"Then wouldn't you be trespassing?"

"Not if the purpose of the place is a tomb. You probably didn't see, but at the opening of the cave, there was writing. '_Ir hahren, emma souveri bellanaris, elgaren din'an ghilani melana. Ne nadas sahlin suledin vir tu harel setheneran'eth_.' It means 'I am elder, I am weary, spirits eternal end to guide time. You must now endure the path to make the dreaded thin veil safe.' Now that we've opened the tomb, from what's known they should either start dying for sure, or they'll wake up. Not sure what the 'veil' is though."

"Well, maybe it has something to do with-" He was cut off as one of the doors opened, and a rather gaunt looking woman in strange clothing shuffled out.

"_Mi'renan..._" She mumbled, coughing lightly. "_Ma'thenera mana. Emma then._" Harry shifted his foot, and the scraping sand caught her attention."_Harel shemlenen! M'u elvhen, sa dirthaverenen'tan, viran se lan'aan?_"* Bill held his hands out, showing no weapons.

"_Ir abelas, hahren. Ar bor'assan athim, mir glandival dithara mala mana. Ir isala m'enaste tu harel setheneran'eth."_ He said, with a small bow. She watched him. "You speak language?"

"What little I have studied." He replied, Harry looked between the two.

"You too speak low language?"

"Yes. It is the first I learned."

"What is name?"

"Bill," he pointed to himself, then Harry. "Harry."

"Where third?" She seemed irritated that there wasn't a third person.

"Only us two."

"There is third. Where?"

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"_Dirthavaren'tan_, The promised three. The ones who will save _Vhen'alas, revesan. _"

* * *

*Elvhen- The name for the species; plural is just elves

*Asleep- Uthenera, (literally "long sleep" or "endless dream") is a slumber-like state which elders of the ancient elves voluntary entered when they became weary of life and memories. While their bodies would remain in the mortal realm, their spirits would cross the veil and wander the shifting paths of the Beyond accompanied by two children of Mythal- Falon'Din and his twin brother Dirthamen. This state did not necessarily equal death, as some would return after centuries of sleep and share the secrets of dreams with the People. Yet many would never wake up: their bodies would deteriorate and they would in fact die; Translates to 'immortal'

*Mi'renan...= My voice...

*Ma'thenera mana. Emma then.= My [endless waking] sleep [has been a] long time. I am awake/alert.

*Harel'shemlenen! M'u elvhen, viran se lan'aan?= Dreaded humans, you aren't elves, how did you find [the path to] this place?

*Ir abelas, hahren. Ar bor'assan athim, mir glandival dithara mala mana. Ir isala m'enaste tu harel setheneran'eth.= I am sorry, elder. I bow with humility, my wish [is to] learn your distant past. I'm in need [of] your favor/approval to cause/make [the] dreaded thin veil safe.

*Dirthavaren'tan= [The] promised three

*Vhen'alas, revesan.= our earth (literal), the place where freedom dwells.


	5. News Flash

**_Hey! Just curious if anyone wanted to make a cover image for this? I'm making my own, but it'll be temporary if someone else makes one.  
_**

**_MoonPrincess623: there's a poll up, where you guys can choose. I'll bring in all the options and introduce them kinda, and then you can all vote. Whether the Third is someone you know or not depends on the results._**

* * *

Later, they sat around the campfire outside the tomb, the sky dark with few starts showing through the clouds. Someone Harry hadn't been introduced to yet had stepped forward to translate, having studied the language a little longer than Bill. Between him and Ashalya, the woman that they had talked to, he couldn't tell where one word ended and another began. Suddenly she stood and told the translator,

"_Ar tu mir falone'nuvenin_." She started for the cave, and Bill jumped up and grabbed her wrist.

"_In durgen sulevin'tu tel'eth, sahlin_." She frowned, but nodded and sat down, him doing the same. Harry turned to Bill.

"What was that about?"  
"She wanted to go and wake the rest of them, but the tomb isn't safe at night."

"Oh." Harry yawned, and the translator stepped forward. "Apparently, there's a prophecy or legend or something that says that three people are supposed to seal a veil of some sort and save the world, literally. According to her, you two are missing a third, and one of the people in there might be the one."

"Great." Harry hit his head against the back of his chair. "Just bloody great."

* * *

_He was surrounded by shadows that moved, whispering things. He caught snippets, but little more._  
_"Become... with us... now..." "You don't... them..." "Just a... little..." "Mageling... unharrowed... well..." "New... time...soon..."_

* * *

Harry startled violently when he woke up, someone's hand over his mouth. His hand was already on his wand before he realized who it was.

"Ashalya?" She nodded, pointed to the now rising sun, Bill, and then the cave. He sighed, but got up out of the chair he had fallen asleep in and approached Bill and shook him lightly. "Hey, she's going to try to go back in, shouldn't we stop her?"

"No, the sun's coming up, it should be safe. Let's go," the redhead muttered, stretching and standing.

The inside of the tomb was dark, and Harry was about to use the lumos spell when Bill stopped him. "We don't know how this place will react to modern magic. For all we know, it could blow the place up. It's a couple millennia older than the founder's time." He grabbed a torch and lit it with a muggle lighter before handing it to Ashalya and following her down through the winding halls. They traveled in silence until she held a hand out, stopping them.

"Veil soon." Harry nodded, having already felt the sliminess of the air, as if everything was tainted with something unreal. He shuddered as they entered the next room, a dark mirror with no reflection stood in the center on a dais, surrounded by long dead flowers and other offerings. Ashalya stood in front of it.

"Fen'Harel enansal." When nothing happened, she frowned and repeated herself louder. Again nothing happened. She moved the torch, and gasped. Now that it was in somewhat proper lighting, she could see there was a giant grack in the mirror, running diagonally from the top left to the bottom right, with smaller, spidery cracks branching off. She laid her hand against it, then pulled back with a gasp, little pieces of lightning flickering over her hand. Her eyes widened.

"Both, here!" She waved them over, and as soon as they were in reach she set the torch down and grabbed their hands, pressing them to the mirror as she repeated her earlier phrase.

"Fen'harel enansal." The mirror flickered, then brightened as a body fell through, toppling the two men over and the mirror darkened, shattering to small pieces of black glass.

* * *

Ar tu mir falone'nuvenin= I need [to] wake my friends (literally- I need to make my friends awake)

In durgen din eth'sahlin= In [the] stone isn't safe now. (literally- In stone not safe in this moment)

Fen'harel enansal= Not sure what it means, but it's said to activate the eluvians


	6. Onward Bound

_**Fenris is the Third! How did I know it'd end up that way? XD  
**_

_**Thanks to MoonPrincess623, who told me what Fen'harel enansal means. I****t means the Dread Wolf's Blessing.  
**_

* * *

Harry reacted first, sitting up and holding a hand out to whomever had fallen out of the mirror as Bill stood.

"You are not Hawke. Where am I?" The man said, and Harry blinked when he noticed the white hair.

"The Third!" Ashalya gasped, hand over her mouth.

"Where am I?" He asked again, lyrium veins in his hand glowing faintly.

"Nowhere you'd know, a long time has passed," Harry told him.

"That is not an answer. Where am I?"

"Egypt, in the uncharted areas below where Ferelden used to be."

"Used to be? What do you mean?"

"Like he said, it's been a long time. It's Europe and Asia, now."

"And Kirkwall?"

"Completely gone, it's referenced as Atlantis though I think."

"I see. I am Fenris." He sighed.

"I'm Bill Weasley, and this is Harry Potter. Do you know anything about _Dirthavaren'tan_?" Bill asked, absentmindedly brushing glass off of his shirt.

"Don't tell me you believe in that drivel. Nothing but a story. Why?" He looked around, then cursed. "I'd suspect Merrill to be here, she messed with the eluvians most before..." He shook his head.

"Fenris? Is that you?" He turned, and rolled his eyes. "Speak of the demon and she shall appear. Hello Merrill." The woman smiled. "It is you! Oh, I wish Hawke were here."

"And why isn't she?"

"Well, she's human you know. She couldn't go into _Uthenera_ like we did. You still remember what she said, right? Before she sealed you in the eluvian?"

"That there would be a reckoning to shake the nation, nothing else. Why?"

"Because you're the Third, Fenris. The third _dirthavaren_." She frowned when he scoffed.

"Grow up, Merrill. That's only a fairytale."

"The Eluvian would have rejected anyone else."

"But I'm no mage, the Three were supposed to be mages."

"No, two mages and a warrior." She corrected him, before noticing the others. "Oh, hello! I'm Merrill, and you are?"

_"Unharrowed mageling, come with us..." _The three capable of magic looked around.

"Did you hear that too?" Harry asked. Bill and Merrill nodded.

"The demons are nearing the Veil, dangerously so if we can hear them. Get ready for a fight," Merrill warned them, pulling her staff from her back just as the first appeared, a desire demon. The appearance froze the two modern wizards, but Merrill and Fenris began attacking immediately. Finally, Bill snapped out of it and shot a stunner, apparently forgetting his warning when they started out. The demon stalled, then it's eyes locked onto Harry.

"_Unharrowed mageling... Don't you wish to be normal? Not have the fates of many rely on your actions so? I can do that._" He shook his head.

"Maybe, but I won't achieve it through teaming with you." He cast a knock back jinx at it and winced when Fenris struck the final blow, simultaneous with Merrill's strange ice spell. He eyed the blood that had splashed on the stone, before turning to Merrill.

"What was that?" It was Fenris that answered.

"A desire demon, one of the more powerful. Not the most though."

"It's when you see a pride demon that you have to worry," She told him, before turning to Fenris.

"Remember when we used to fight them with Hawke?"

"She had absolutely no mercy for them. It was entertaining to say the least."

"Uhm, maybe we should keep going before more come?" Harry said, pointing to a pathway that had opened up behind the desire demon. It was lit with torches that had green flames. Fenris approached one, frowning. "Merrill, are these not...?"

"They are. Veil-fire. We'd best be careful." The group moved forward, Ashalya and Merrill talking quietly in Elvhen in the back, Harry, Bill, in the middle, and Fenris in the lead. As soon as Ashalya stepped in, the tunnel closed behind her, sealing them in.

"Well, there's no going back now..." Harry sighed. "Let's keep going."


	7. Author's Letter, but please read

Alright, to start off:

Reviewers! Thank you for … er… reviewing. I really appreciate it and it's a very warm and fuzzy feeling every time I read them.

I realize not everyone is happy with how this story has been going, and to be honest, I'm not quite happy either. I'll be going through everything for the next few months. Posted chapters, non posted chapters, ideas, notes, etc. I may attempt to salvage what I've already written, or I may just redact a few chapters and head in a new direction. Depending on the response I get to this, I may even shut down the story.

Another note; this is a summer project. I may add little holiday chapters if inspired, but I have a hard time staying on task in school, so I've reserved the efforts for summer break. I've read so many "please update soon!"s and it just makes me want to write and write but then my grades fall and I run the risk of failing and therefore being kicked out.

I will however be checking daily for the next two weeks, so please, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, go ahead and inbox me. It'd go a long way towards my descision.

Merry Yule,

\- Kickstart Asylum (aka Ivy Jade Whitewing)


	8. Author

So.

I've been kicked out.

No more school for me for the rest of the year.

More updates for you.

Be happy.

Be very happy.

-KickstartAsylum


	9. Moving Forth

To be honest, Harry didn't even bother wondering what was happening, leaping into battle -yet again- against demons and what the others had identified as ... ash wraiths? He wasn't sure. Merril, Fenris, and Bill fought the bulk of the... herd? Pack? While he fought off any that got too close to Ashalya. He shot a stunner at an ash wraith before ducking and spinning, barely dodging flames as he shoved the thing away from him and towards another that was about to attack Merrill.

Eventually, the last was dead, and they finally turned their attention to the door in front of them.

"Should we turn back?"

"Yes, Bill, that's a _fabulous_ idea. Let's just walk the two hours back, all the way to the dead end."

"Stop your sniping Harry, you're twelve."

"And the both of you are stupid." Fenris sighed while Merrill looked at the door.

"It's the same as the barrier on Sundermount," She smiled.

"Ah! Another chance for blood magic! wonderful," She rolled her eyes while quickly and efficiently, if a little messily, opening the doorway. Harry filed it away to think about later, right now they just needed to get out. It led into another tunnel, though this one was well lit in comparison, wider, taller, and looked more carved and thought out than the previous one.

"Well, more light means closer to the surface, right? If there are bioluminescent plants," Harry gestured to the faintly glowing 'shrooms along the walls of the tunnel. "they have to be getting their light from somewhere."

"It's possible."  
Bill jumped, startled when Merrill gave a small shriek of delight. "Deep mushrooms, Fenris! Oh, do you think elfroot is still here?" She rushed over, deftly using a small blade to gather them in small clumps. "Maybe poultices can still be made! Oh, this is wonderful!" Harry and bill sighed, and after convincing Merrill that they really had no time, and yes, she could keep what she had already gathered, they were on their way down the tunnel.

This tunnel was demon free, thankfully. Harry's spell repertoire wasn't very extensive when it came to fighting, and to be honest, he was a little more tired than usual. It was rather pretty, actually. The faint blue light illuminated dark green moss on the walls, smooth rock paved a path and glittering rocks decorated the ceiling. Stalagmites and stalactites impeded their path once or twice, and Harry spoke up, breaking the silence.

"What's the difference?"

"Between what?" It was Fenris who answered, rather than Bill.

"The difference between stalactites and stalagmites."

"Stalactites hang from the ceiling, stalagmites are the ones on the ground."

Bill finally piped up. "I remember someone explained it as a stalactite had to hang tight to the ceiling, and that's how they remembered which was which."

"Oh." They continued quietly until Harry noticed that the tunnel was getting lighter despite there not being as many Deep Mushrooms as when they first started.

"It seems to be getting brighter. Perhaps we are near an exit." Fenris muttered, and everyone unspokenly ramped up the pace, eager to get out. Plant life began to turn to dirt, stone, and finally sand. Not even fifteen minutes later, they were out in the sand dunes, on the other side of the massive, weaving system of tunnels. If he squinted, Harry was sure he could see the camp.

"Well, wasn't that an adventure." Bill started towards the camp, and Harry stopped to pick up a glittering thing he had seen before following, flipping it between his hands idly.

It looked like a normal rock upon second glance, but it had a swirly pattern and felt unnaturally cold, despite laying in the sun.

Odd.

* * *

_**Hi! So sorry about the wait, they have me doing online classes so I'm on the path to graduate on time.**_

_**Sixty weeks of class to be complete before school starts next fall. Y. **_

_**A 365 day year has 52 weeks. I don't know how I got so far behind!**_

_**Anyways, longer chapter to make up for it.**_

_**THERE IS ALSO A POLL UP ON MY PROFILE THAT WILL MAJORLY AFFECT THE PLOT!**_

_** Reviews are life, and I think I've got it planned out for now. *massive anime thumbs up***_


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